Feed mechanism in a vegetable packaging machine



Nov. 8, 1927.

1,648,356 A. MALLlNsoN i FEED MECHANISM 1N. A VEGETABLE PACKAGING MACHINE vFiled May 22, 1925 4 sheets-sheet 1 Niamey.

Nov. 8, 192 7.

A. MALLINSON Y FEED MECHANISM IN A VEGETBLE PACKAGING MACHINE 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 Fld May 22, 1925 Fig. 7.

Nov. 8, 192 7. 1,648,356

A. MALLINSON FEED MECHANISM IN A. VEGETABLE PACKAGING MACHINE Filed May 22, 1925 4 Sheets-'Sheet 4 r--- i 1 I s as :IJ l y.' E D *fw l l S13/T i e f/ 45/ I L .J

, lrlVerlror. fig-l5. A. MALLlNfQoM.

Patented Nov. 8, 1927.,

i inistr en sra-'ras f f intense ARCHIBALD Mannrnson, on'monrnn'an, @meenden-NADA.

FEED MECHANSIVI IN VEGETABLE PACKAGING MACHINE.'

Application filed May 22, 1925. Serial No. 32,233. v

The 'objects of the invention are to take the' potatoes direct from a bin or `freight car, boat, scow or other means of transport or storage and parcel them in packages, of even rsizes and weights ready for delivery to the dealer, or to the consumer; to avoid clogging up the passages by' means'of which the potatoes reach the bag for packaging purposes; to eliminate damage to the potatoes or such other vegetable orl fruit as may be vfed into the machines; to reduce the labor required for the continuous performanceof the `machine to the minimum ;l to facilitate the marketing of the potatoes at a reasonable cost to theV public; and to provide an accurate and efficient machine, durable,service able and economical. l

In the drawings,v Figure 1 isa side elevation of the machine.

Figure 2 is a- -front elevation of the machine.

Figure 3 is a rear elevationpof the machine. l Figure 4 is a longitudinal'sectional view throughthe feed box andhopper.

Figure 5 isa reducec1 .view of the machine, showing its application and endless feed carrier attachment.

. Figure 6 Vis a detail of a chute from the feed'box showing a side view of the loose bottom.

Figure 7 is a detail showing a front view of the loose bottom illustrated in Figure 6.

Figure Slis an enlargedvdetail of the operating sha/ft andfoot levers for the measures. Y Y 4 Figure 9 is a reduced plan viewof the carriage and machine frames omitting vthe feed box. A p

Figure 1()V is a pla-n view of the feed box and hopper showing thedistributors. y

Figure 11 is 'a detail of a rotary spider yforming the distributor showing it in plan and Cf-OSS Sectie@ Figurel). is a detail showing the measuresy in side elevation,

Figure' 13 is a detail showing an 'end view of the measures. l

vFigure 14 is aldetail ofthe Xed outlet plate of themeasures. g

Figure 15 is a plan view of the-operating shafts and gears for the feed vbox.

Lilie numerals of reference indicate corresponding parts in the various figures.

Y .Referring to the drawings, the carriage 30 is formed of an open framehaving the longitudinal bars 31, cross bars V32y and 83 secured to thebars `31, and the `vertical bars 34 forming the bearings for the axles35 of tle running gear having the wheels 36 and rlhe machine frame 38 is riveted to the carriage frame rintermediate of the length of the latter and carries at the upper. endfeedA box 89 having the hopper formed by the defleeting plates 4 0. and 41, said plates ,entendinginwardly from the ends respectively and separated centrally at 42and'43 to direct the potatoescentrally into-the boX. These plates slopedown'wardly and inwardly as runways for the potatoes to thebottom 44 of the 'hopwith the measuresrformed by the cylinders l 55 and 56 andV 57 and particularly with one per, this bottom being shortened at the ends i' cylinder at a time as they are rotated with the end disks58, said disks being secured to the `shaft 59 which is jo-urnalled in the rigid bearings 460 from vthe machine frame. j' The bearings carry fal disk 61 rigidly secured thereto and having the discharge opening @registering with the cylinders in `turn and directing the potatoes into the funnels .G3 and bags 64 encircling the necks' of said tunnels which here correspond to a scale pan. The bottom 44 of the feed `boX is swept byy therotaryV spiders 65 and 66, which maintain, the potatoes lin constant agitation and at .the .same time bring them intol singl :file

lil

on the convex side ofthe spiders where they cannot very well bunch and thereby sort them out into lines to tumble in file order over r6 and so on to the measuring cylinders and bags.

The rotary distributing spiders and 66 vare each formed of the convexed arms 67 radiating from the hub 68 in substantially S-.shape and tapering and turned rearwardly in respect to the direction of rotation.` The hubs 68 are' fixedly mounted on thc shafts 69 and said shafts 69 are journall'ed in bearings in the bottom 44.

rlhe worm Gears 70 are mounted v"atthe' lower endsofithe shafts 69 and coact with worms 71 on the shaft 72, which is gournalled in the bearings 73 supported by themachme frame (s ee Figures 1, i and 15). ri-heshaft Y 72 1s driven by the worm 74 mounted on the y shaftj7 5 and ope-rating the worm wheel 76 on said shaft 72, said shaft '75 being driven by the motor 77 through the chain and sprocket drive 7 8 from` the motor shaft, said motor beingy carried on `'the shelf 79 of a bracket extending from a side wall of the feed box.v The. shaft 72 also carries the sprocket 51 mentionedv in the foregoing and `rthe chain 52 as stated connects said sprocket lwith' the sprocket 53, mounted on a dr1ving shaft for the endless carrier as hereinafter more particularly explained.

The rotary spiders maintain the incoming potatoes in constant movement and bring them over to the feed box outlets in three lines of potatoes, one potato after another to be dropped over the edgequickly and continuously. Therefore the feed isvnot in-r terrupted while there are potatoes in the hopper.

The fixed disks 61 each havev an auxiliary outlet 80 closed by a swinging cover 81, this outlet forming an additional opening for taking one or more potatoes usually found in the cylinders not discharging and used in 'adding to short weight bags by hand following the weighing operation.

Thek angle brackets S2 from the funnels 63 form the supports for'the bags, which encircle the necks of the funnels to form the packages.

The suspension rods83 extend upwardly from the tunnels and hang said funnels and angle lrackets from the scale mechanisms Si and the scale arms 85, these mechanisms being operatively connected to the indicators SGand of any conventional construction. The shafts 59 at their upper ends extend through to the bearings 87 from .the feed box and at their lower ends downwardly to and through the bearings 88 from the` carriage frame. c .i

The operating arins189 or other `form'of levers are mounted on the shafts 59 at the lower ends and carry 'the stop collars .90 @Ik the edges of the outlet openings 45 and gaged by the springs 91 to maintain `the inlet and discharge holeofv the cylinders 55,' 56 and 57 in'proper registerintermittently.

- T he measuring cylinders and weighing mechanism are on either side of the machine frame 38 beyond which the feed box 39 extends to support said cylinders and discharge thereinto. Y

In the operation of this invention the machine is customarily used in unloading potatoes directly from a freight car orboat, so injfthat'way the packages are Ymade ready for the customer witho-uthandling the pota- Y. y

tion by the spider arms and strung in' linel and finally dropped over the edges of the bottom at the feed box outlets.A

The potatoes roll downA the Vchutesfrorn i the feed box outlets and as Athe bottoms of said chutes are constantly moving, there Ais no sck tendency on the` part'of thepotatoes" to'coli lect and obstruct the passage to the discharge outlets.

lThe outlets from the chutes are of good size and the measures turn around in the area of this outlet, so that one measure is filled'to the brim, while another receives some potatoes at the same time to prevent choking at the mouth of the anism.`

The full measure turns to the outlet openL measure operating meching in the fixed plateA and another measureL y takes'its place for filling.

The measure reaching the outlet, the potatoes empty quickly therefrom and roll into the bag through the funnel and are then weighed and if found under weight, the auxiliary opening in the fixed plate may be uncovered and a potato or two taken from BOO l fifi the partially filled measure, or if overweight `a potato may be taken away, and placedon a table, bench or shelf. The bag is then removed andreplaced by an empty bag, and the foot lever of the measure shaft kicked to bring around the next full measure to the outlet opening! i WhatI-claim isy .v l

1. In a vegetable packaging machine, a hopper and rotary spiders having shafts journalled in a plate below said hopper and radial arms with rounded fupper surfaces and having their ends turned rearwardly with respect to the direction ,Qi retenes and isc vin cooperative relationship sweeping the incoming vegetables successively in respect to their blades or sweeps into discharge openings and chutes from said openings.

2. In a feed mechanism in a vegetable packaging machine, a hopper and feed box therebelow and rotary spiders sweeping the bottom of said box in the direction of opening at each end extending for the full width of the box, and chutes from said openings.

' 3. In a feed mechanism in a vegetable packaging machine, a hopper forming at the lower end a 'distributing feed box having a bottom shortened at the ends to leave discharge openings, a pair of sweeping members suitably rotated and chutes from said openings. v

4. In a feed mechanism in a vegetable packaging machine, a hopper and distribut-` ing feed box combined formed with side and end walls, inner inclined runways to a central feed opening and a shortened bottom leaving discharge openings, means agitating and distributing the vegetables and chutes from said openings.

5. In a feed mechanism in a vegetable packaging machine, a hopper and distributing feed box combined having guidel plates Vbetween the side walls and secured thereto leading in a downwardly inclined direction to a central feed opening extending across the box and terminating above the box bottom, rotary spiders having arms sweepingA the upper ends of said shafts and vsvveepc ing said bottom, a Worm shaft journalled in suitable bearings and having worms operatively engaging said vvorm wheels, a worm wheelV mounted on said worm shaft and a worm shaft suitably journalled and having a worm driving the Worm wheel on said worm shaft.

of April, 1925. y

ARCHIBALD MALLINSOKN.

Signed at Montreal, Canada, this 24th day 'y 

